Popular demonstrations in Iraq against government corruption, which
targeted pro-Iran elements, caught Iran’s rulers by surprise. In order to
control the situation in Iraq, they first attempted to enter militias and
popular mobilization forces with civilian cloths and without any placards and
flags into the demonstrations. By doing so they intended to derail the
demonstrations towards their own objectives.
However, with the intensification
of the demonstrations, Iran sought to use its suppressive methods to create an
atmosphere of fear and intimidation within the Iraq demonstrators. The goal was
to stop demonstrations and disappoint protesters of reforms. The radicalization
of slogans and the people’s demands, especially the demand to arrest, prosecute
and execute Maliki and prevent Iran’s interventions in Iraq, changed the scene.
Iran changed its tactics and used its militias and popular mobilization forces
that are at the service of the Quds Force to turn the peaceful protests into
violent ones. Below are examples of the Iranian regime’s attempts to disrupt
popular demonstrations in Iraqi provinces.
·
After Maliki’s return from
Iran, the Iranian regime used its militias in Baghdad to form groups of
club-wielders to enter the demonstrations and turn them violent.
·
On 14 August 2015, a number
of ‘civilian mobilization’ (hashd madani) individuals, most of whom were from
the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqqgroup entered the demonstrations and began insulting
demonstrators, especially women. They even dragged a woman out of the
demonstration. The militias attacked some of the demonstrators and beat them
up. They initially intended to chant slogans against particular political
leaders, thus derailing the demonstrations, yet they were unsuccessful.
·
The Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq
militias who took part in the demonstrations as ‘hashd madani’ forces had the
following distinctions: they wear military shirts, a cap and a piece of textile
around their neck. They bring clubs and knives with them to the demonstrations.
One of their persistent targets in the demonstrations is reporters and TV
station staff that cover the demonstrations.
·
In the demonstration of the
people of Nasiriya, a number of militias threw bricks at the police in order to
provoke them. A clash broke out between the police and people and a number of
demonstrators were injured and wounded.
·
The militias in Basra and
Nasiriya have told the peaceful demonstrators that the only way to reach your
goals is through armed revolt because the government will not answer to
peaceful methods.
·
Given the people’s demands
who want the arrest and prosecution of Maliki, Iran’s policy is to stop the
demonstrators. In this regard it has ordered its militias to turn the peaceful
demonstrations into violent ones and direct the demonstrators to burn down
government buildings and ransack government property. By doing so, Iran wants
the demonstrators to face off against the government and intends to initiate
sectarian wars in order to cover up the real issue which is the prosecution of
Maliki.
·
Militias used this policy in
the Karbala protests, yet the people and provincial officials’ vigilance foiled
the plot.
·
Iran has called on its
affiliated militias to enter their own security elements within the
demonstrations in order to identify the demonstration organizers and to beat up
reporters and TV cameramen. This is an attempt to halt the demonstrations after
a while.
·
The club-wielding militias,
in order to derail the demonstrations, have spread rumors amongst the
protesters that the main goal of the organizers is to bring down the Shiite
base. After people began chanting against Iran’s interventions and demanded the
arrest and prosecution of Maliki, on Friday, 14 August, a large number of
Asa’ib and Badr militias entered the demonstrators and whenever the people
chanted against Iran’s interventions beat up the protesters. The Quds Force had
briefed the militias to not show any reaction if the demonstrators chanted
against Iraqi officials but use violence if they chant against Iran and Maliki
and take them out of the demonstrations.
·
During the popular
demonstration on Friday, 21 August, Asa’ib and Badr militias entered the
demonstrations with an agenda to suppress the protesters. They intended to
enter the scene every time slogans were chanted against Maliki and Khamenei and
brand the demonstrators with ‘pro-Baath’ and ‘anti-clergy’ labels and beat them
up. Therefore, a number of Asa’ib and Badr security elements entered the
demonstrations and a number of others who had clubs and knives with them stayed
in a yard behind Tahrir Square. They were contingency forces, set to act if
necessary.
·
During the Friday, 21 August
demonstration popular mobilization forces affiliated to the Asa’ib and Badr
organization entered the scene to quell the demonstrators. Prior to the
demonstration, popular mobilization forces gathered in a section of the Tahrir
Square and chanted and demanded their several month unpaid wage. They pretended
to be a part of the demonstration, yet when the demonstration began they
entered the ranks and by chanting deviant slogans intended to stop the chants
for Maliki’s prosecution.
·
After the intensification of
the demonstrators, Maliki sent his militias to quell the protesters. On Friday,
21 August, a large number of militias from the Kata’ib Emam Ali group, led by
Sheikh Abdul-Hussein al-Taii, were sent to the demonstrations by Maliki.
·
In order to derail the demonstrations,
Iran asked its Iraqi operatives to enter a large number of clerics into the
demonstrations on a weekly basis and chant deviant slogans and negatively
affect the demonstrations.
·
Causing differences between
demonstrators and instigating clashes with government forces was one of the
measures that Iran has used in previous weeks in several cities.
·
In Basra Maliki’s elements
used military uniforms to raid the tents of the protesters and destroy their
sit-in. In Divaniya and Baghdad, Maliki’s elements used similar methods. When
protesters in Baghdad ripped up Maliki’s posters, elements affiliated to Maliki
began shooting rounds in the air to cause an atmosphere of fear and
intimidation within the demonstrators.
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